Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Re-Branding Nigeria: Governor Babatunde Fashola's Style
What have you done lately to assist Governor Babatunde Fashola (SAN) of Lagos State in his laudable projects of both social and economic reformation of Lagos, the most populous state in West Africa?
~ Hope Obioma Opara, the Publisher of Supple Magazine in Nigeria
This is a question for everyone in Lagos state and indeed what Babatude Fashola is doing is the best practical example of how best to re-brand Nigeria.
Leadership is best by example and the method of the commendable governor of Lagos state is worthy of emulation as he is using good administration to combat corruption.
He is already changing the old dirty and filthy image of Lagos by making repairs of the damaged roads, improving the health care service, educational system and civil service. Babatunde Fashola has achieved in only two years what the former governor Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu could not achieve in eight years.
Friday, May 1, 2009
Robert Amsterdam: Nasir el-Rufai Has No More Questions To Answer!
An Interview with Robert Amsterdam on the International Defense Team of Mallam Nasir Ahmad el-Rufai, Officer of the Order of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (OFR), the former Minister of Abuja Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in Nigeria resigned the appointment in June 2008.
Nasir el-Rufai
Q 1: Sir, on 30 April and 7 May 2008, Mallam Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai appeared before the Nigerian's Senate Committee on Abuja, Federal Capital Territory (FTC), to answer questions on his tenure as minister of the FTC, how have you found out that the allegations of bribery and corruption against your client Mallam Nasir Ahmad EL-Rufai are spurious?
I read his testimony before the senate, which totaled approximately 100 pages. Further, I must say that in my 30 years of practicing international law, rare is the situation when governments truly attack people who have committed real crimes with so much fanfare and publicity. In my experience dealing with these cases, I have found that the more politicians publicize alleged wrongdoing in attempts to slander and develop a particular narrative about individuals, the less substance there are to these types of allegations. I must confess to having had the privilege of knowing my client prior to being retained on this matter. These allegations ran so contrary to my experience with this individual that I performed my own independent investigation. That investigation revealed a continuous pattern of legislative harassment of Mallam Nasir El-Rufai that dated back to 2002. This history included his sworn testimony which he made publically and under oath concerning malfeasance within the body of the Senate itself. Am I surprised by the present goings on against my client? Absolutely not.
Q 2: Why has he disobeyed court orders as he bluntly stated that?
"Let it be clear that nobody will keep me out of Nigeria. I will return home at the completion of my course of study at Harvard. I have no desire to seek Asylum but would not be stampeded to abandoning my studies to make the government happy."
My understanding is just to the contrary. He has provided voluminous testimony and appointed individuals in his place to answer further questions. From reading various press conferences and threats that have been made, my impression quite frankly is that those individuals who cast aspersions on this man’s character fear his return and are doing everything possible to make that eventuality uncertain.
Q 3: Mrs. Farida Waziri., Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), said that her Commission has the right to extradite Mallam Nasir Ahmad el-Rufai. Is she right or wrong?
I would respectfully disagree. There are a tremendous number of allegations spoken at various press conferences that appear to have been dealt with in their entirety by the sworn testimony of my client.
Q 4: Why should Mallam Nasir Ahmad el-Rufai use his undergoing a course of study at Harvard University as an excuse to refuse a legal summons on the charges of abuse of office and corruption in Nigeria?
My client has answered fully all of these allegations time and time again. His course of study will be over and he will be able to dedicate even more time to re-answer these charges. The ongoing political attacks on my client and the obvious intent to cause him harm leads me to ask of your readers what the intent of this campaign against El-Rufai and other reformers such as Nuhu Ribadu, really is.
Q 5: The International Defense Team of Mallam Nasir Ahmad el-Rufai has been making his case more controversial by calling it a political campaign against him. Why and how is it a political campaign when the EFCC is not prosecuting him as a politician, but as a former civil servant?
What makes this case political is the inherent bias and prejudgment that was reflected in the Senate’s and EFCC’s attitude toward El-Rufai. Bluntly, certain individuals have an improper purpose, clearly harboring a long-standing enmity toward my client. I confess that it appears that this enmity has stopped them from a detailed analysis of the fulsome response provided by El-Rufai. Simply because El-Rufai was a public servant does not deny him the right to equality before the law and equal protection by the law. He has no where waived these rights.
Q 6: If Mallam Nasir Ahmad el-Rufai was indeed an incorruptible public servant whilst in office, why is he afraid of returning to Nigeria to defend himself on the alleged misappropriation of about N32 billion from the sale of Federal Government Houses in Abuja?
My client has made it clear that when he left office, these monies were not missing. He has shown absolutely no fear by testifying before the Senate and fully answering all questions. As his lawyer I have tremendous concerns given the public statements made in Nigeria to date as to whether he could ever have a fair trial with respect to any allegation given the nature of the public attacks that have been made on his good name.
Q 7: The President of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), Mr. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu (SAN), is included in your International Defense Team and will defend Mallam Nasir Ahmad el-Rufai on the eight-count charge against him by the EFCC, so don’t you think it would be inappropriate to go on with the uncivil public statements accusing the Nigerian government of political victimization?
The long series of personal attacks, prejudicial distortions of findings, and numerous press conferences necessitate a public response. Those who are intent upon destroying my client’s reputation have not waited for their day in court. Nor shall we.
Thank you for granting us this important interview.
About Robert R. Amsterdam
Robert R. Amsterdam
Conducted by Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima, the Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of Nigerians Report.com
Nasir el-Rufai
Q 1: Sir, on 30 April and 7 May 2008, Mallam Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai appeared before the Nigerian's Senate Committee on Abuja, Federal Capital Territory (FTC), to answer questions on his tenure as minister of the FTC, how have you found out that the allegations of bribery and corruption against your client Mallam Nasir Ahmad EL-Rufai are spurious?
I read his testimony before the senate, which totaled approximately 100 pages. Further, I must say that in my 30 years of practicing international law, rare is the situation when governments truly attack people who have committed real crimes with so much fanfare and publicity. In my experience dealing with these cases, I have found that the more politicians publicize alleged wrongdoing in attempts to slander and develop a particular narrative about individuals, the less substance there are to these types of allegations. I must confess to having had the privilege of knowing my client prior to being retained on this matter. These allegations ran so contrary to my experience with this individual that I performed my own independent investigation. That investigation revealed a continuous pattern of legislative harassment of Mallam Nasir El-Rufai that dated back to 2002. This history included his sworn testimony which he made publically and under oath concerning malfeasance within the body of the Senate itself. Am I surprised by the present goings on against my client? Absolutely not.
Q 2: Why has he disobeyed court orders as he bluntly stated that?
"Let it be clear that nobody will keep me out of Nigeria. I will return home at the completion of my course of study at Harvard. I have no desire to seek Asylum but would not be stampeded to abandoning my studies to make the government happy."
My understanding is just to the contrary. He has provided voluminous testimony and appointed individuals in his place to answer further questions. From reading various press conferences and threats that have been made, my impression quite frankly is that those individuals who cast aspersions on this man’s character fear his return and are doing everything possible to make that eventuality uncertain.
Q 3: Mrs. Farida Waziri., Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), said that her Commission has the right to extradite Mallam Nasir Ahmad el-Rufai. Is she right or wrong?
I would respectfully disagree. There are a tremendous number of allegations spoken at various press conferences that appear to have been dealt with in their entirety by the sworn testimony of my client.
Q 4: Why should Mallam Nasir Ahmad el-Rufai use his undergoing a course of study at Harvard University as an excuse to refuse a legal summons on the charges of abuse of office and corruption in Nigeria?
My client has answered fully all of these allegations time and time again. His course of study will be over and he will be able to dedicate even more time to re-answer these charges. The ongoing political attacks on my client and the obvious intent to cause him harm leads me to ask of your readers what the intent of this campaign against El-Rufai and other reformers such as Nuhu Ribadu, really is.
Q 5: The International Defense Team of Mallam Nasir Ahmad el-Rufai has been making his case more controversial by calling it a political campaign against him. Why and how is it a political campaign when the EFCC is not prosecuting him as a politician, but as a former civil servant?
What makes this case political is the inherent bias and prejudgment that was reflected in the Senate’s and EFCC’s attitude toward El-Rufai. Bluntly, certain individuals have an improper purpose, clearly harboring a long-standing enmity toward my client. I confess that it appears that this enmity has stopped them from a detailed analysis of the fulsome response provided by El-Rufai. Simply because El-Rufai was a public servant does not deny him the right to equality before the law and equal protection by the law. He has no where waived these rights.
Q 6: If Mallam Nasir Ahmad el-Rufai was indeed an incorruptible public servant whilst in office, why is he afraid of returning to Nigeria to defend himself on the alleged misappropriation of about N32 billion from the sale of Federal Government Houses in Abuja?
My client has made it clear that when he left office, these monies were not missing. He has shown absolutely no fear by testifying before the Senate and fully answering all questions. As his lawyer I have tremendous concerns given the public statements made in Nigeria to date as to whether he could ever have a fair trial with respect to any allegation given the nature of the public attacks that have been made on his good name.
Q 7: The President of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), Mr. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu (SAN), is included in your International Defense Team and will defend Mallam Nasir Ahmad el-Rufai on the eight-count charge against him by the EFCC, so don’t you think it would be inappropriate to go on with the uncivil public statements accusing the Nigerian government of political victimization?
The long series of personal attacks, prejudicial distortions of findings, and numerous press conferences necessitate a public response. Those who are intent upon destroying my client’s reputation have not waited for their day in court. Nor shall we.
Thank you for granting us this important interview.
About Robert R. Amsterdam
Robert R. Amsterdam
In his 25 years of practice, Robert R. Amsterdam has handled numerous international business disputes and in a variety of emerging markets. With an active trade and subsidy practice, Amsterdam has both defended and prosecuted cases for and against governments and corporations. Canadian Lawyer says of Amsterdam that he is "one of the few lawyers in the world [good at] taking on the state when the state starts acting like a criminal."
Amsterdam has worked in countries as diverse as Hungary, Nigeria, Venezuela, and Guatemala and is deeply experienced with politically sensitive cases. Highly regarded for his strategic innovation and international reach, Amsterdam was retained by the Russian corporation YUKOS-Group MENATEP in 2003 for the defence of former CEO Mikhail Khodorkovsky - one of the most high profile cases in modern Russian history.
He co-founded the Toronto-based law firm Amsterdam & Peroff with Dean A. Peroff in 1980 and has represented well-known global corporations including PriceWaterhouseCoopers and the Four Seasons Hotel Group. Amsterdam has delivered speeches at organisations such as the Carnegie Endowment, the Fraser Institute and the International Commission of Jurists and has debriefed parliamentarians and NGO leaders on a variety of political, legal, and business issues. His expert legal commentary is frequently featured in the media, and he has appeared in the American press Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, the UK press the Financial Times, Guardian, German press Die Press, Tagesspiegel, the French press Le Monde amongst others, and was prominently featured in a BBC documentary. Robert has also written many legal and scholarly articles including the recent article which he co-authored and was published in the Fordham Journal - "The duality of state co-operation within international and national criminal cases". Amsterdam also has a successful blog www.robertamsterdam.com.
London's The Lawyer magazine named Robert Amsterdam one of the Hot 100 Attorneys in the UK for 2005.
He is a member of the Canadian, New York and International Bar Associations. He earned his BA from Carleton University in Ottawa and studied law at Queens University in Ontario (LLB).
Conducted by Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima, the Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of Nigerians Report.com
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Dr. Ola Balogun: Nigeria Is Going To Cannes To Fry And Sell "Akara"?
Dr. Ola Balogun: Nigeria Is Going To Cannes To Fry And Sell "Akara"?
« on: Today at 07:06:48 PM »
As we were waiting to buy fuel at the filling station on the Commercial Avenue in Sabo, Lagos, Nigeria, I exchanged greetings with Nigeria’s foremost filmmaker, Dr. Ola Balogun and the author of the travelogue The Magic Land of Nigeria.
Orikinla: Nigeria is going to Cannes.
Dr. Ola Balogun: To do what? To fry and sell Akara?
Orikinla: Our magazine is going there to report the truth about what Nigeria is going to do at the Cannes Film Festival.
Dr. Ola Balogun: Nigerians don’t like to hear the truth.
We smiled.
Nigerian administrators of the film industry like the Nigerian Film Corporation and others have been making an annual pilgrimage to the Cannes Film Festival to display their audio-visual products at a pavilion and have never been able to make any film that has qualified for the screening and competition. Notable Nigerian director and founder /CEO of the Abuja International Film Festival, Fidelis Duker said it is an annual jamboree for Nigeria to go to Cannes and waste millions of naira to display their ignorance.
« on: Today at 07:06:48 PM »
As we were waiting to buy fuel at the filling station on the Commercial Avenue in Sabo, Lagos, Nigeria, I exchanged greetings with Nigeria’s foremost filmmaker, Dr. Ola Balogun and the author of the travelogue The Magic Land of Nigeria.
Orikinla: Nigeria is going to Cannes.
Dr. Ola Balogun: To do what? To fry and sell Akara?
Orikinla: Our magazine is going there to report the truth about what Nigeria is going to do at the Cannes Film Festival.
Dr. Ola Balogun: Nigerians don’t like to hear the truth.
We smiled.
Nigerian administrators of the film industry like the Nigerian Film Corporation and others have been making an annual pilgrimage to the Cannes Film Festival to display their audio-visual products at a pavilion and have never been able to make any film that has qualified for the screening and competition. Notable Nigerian director and founder /CEO of the Abuja International Film Festival, Fidelis Duker said it is an annual jamboree for Nigeria to go to Cannes and waste millions of naira to display their ignorance.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Another Way To Stop The Genocide in Darfur
sacredly breathing said...
What the Darfurians need is for activists and awake citizens of the united states to boycott all Chinese made goods until china stops all trades and oil development in Sudan. We have to demand change through denial of the dollar. We don't have time to continue to speak to the wind. The denial of income is the only way short of military intervention to stop this genocide. so I ask for all my brothers and sisters who believe in the sacredness of life and who believe that we are all gods children to push for a citizen, activist, alternative media, message to not spend your money on any thing chinese manufactured.We must act Now!
What the Darfurians need is for activists and awake citizens of the united states to boycott all Chinese made goods until china stops all trades and oil development in Sudan. We have to demand change through denial of the dollar. We don't have time to continue to speak to the wind. The denial of income is the only way short of military intervention to stop this genocide. so I ask for all my brothers and sisters who believe in the sacredness of life and who believe that we are all gods children to push for a citizen, activist, alternative media, message to not spend your money on any thing chinese manufactured.We must act Now!
Monday, April 27, 2009
Unemployed Artist Uses Remaining Cash as Medium for Economic Statement
27 Apr 2009 07:30 Africa/Lagos
Unemployed Artist Uses Remaining Cash as Medium for Economic Statement
TORONTO, Canada, April 27/PRNewswire/ -- A casualty of the 2008 economic crisis, unemployed conceptual artist Brian Rushton Phillips, has used his remaining cash as a medium to comment on the downturn and his own financial uncertainty.
Entitled 'Financial Security (Blanket)', the project incorporates 208 American dollar bills, sewn together with thread, to form a makeshift security blanket.
The fragility of the blanket conjures an oxymoronic image, consistent with the current state of global unemployment, homelessness and financial insecurity.
The work has been pre-released online:
http://www.rushtonphillips.com/financial_security.html.
For further information: and press materials: +1-416-807-1341, mail@rushtonphillips.com
Source: Rushton Phillips Collaborations
For further information: and press materials: +1-416-807-1341, mail@rushtonphillips.com
Unemployed Artist Uses Remaining Cash as Medium for Economic Statement
TORONTO, Canada, April 27/PRNewswire/ -- A casualty of the 2008 economic crisis, unemployed conceptual artist Brian Rushton Phillips, has used his remaining cash as a medium to comment on the downturn and his own financial uncertainty.
Entitled 'Financial Security (Blanket)', the project incorporates 208 American dollar bills, sewn together with thread, to form a makeshift security blanket.
The fragility of the blanket conjures an oxymoronic image, consistent with the current state of global unemployment, homelessness and financial insecurity.
The work has been pre-released online:
http://www.rushtonphillips.com/financial_security.html.
For further information: and press materials: +1-416-807-1341, mail@rushtonphillips.com
Source: Rushton Phillips Collaborations
For further information: and press materials: +1-416-807-1341, mail@rushtonphillips.com
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Online Newspaper Audience Growth: Good News? Not Really.
The Newspaper Association of America trumpeted the release of first-quarter online audience data last week with this headline: “Newspaper Web Site Audience Increases More Than Ten Percent In First Quarter To 73.3 Million Visitors,” followed by the glowing subhead: “Newspaper Web Sites Set Records for Audience, Page Views and Active Reach; Latest Scarborough Research: Newspapers Attract Key Demographics in Print and Online.”
Pardon me, then, for reading and questioning the details and putting the data in context, something the NAA doesn’t do.
NAA reports:
- First quarter traffic to newspaper Web sites was reported as 73.3 million unique visitors (average per month) by Nielsen*.
- That’s 43.6 percent of all U. S. internet users, and up 10.5 percent versus the same time last year.
- Page views grew from 3.1 billion per month in last year’s first quarter, to 3.5 billion in 2009.
- NAA CEO John Sturm suggests this points to “digital success.”
Context:
- Each of the top three news destination on the Web (MSNBC, CNN and Yahoo!News) individually each drew more than half the unique visitors of the entire newspaper industry in March. Year-over-year, MSNBC grew 9 percent, CNN 4 percent, and Yahoo!News 16 percent.
- Yahoo!News alone gained 5.2 million uniques in March, or nearly 70 percent of the gain of the entire newspaper industry.
- Newspaper page views at 3.5 billion per month are less than one percent of total U.S. page views (386 billion in February).
- Time spent on newspaper sites in February, 43 minutes, 9 seconds per month per NAA/Nielsen, compares with total time online of 61 hours, 11 minutes and 56 seconds per U.S. person. This means newspaper sites get the attention of the U.S. online audience just 1.2 percent of the time.
- The total U.S. online audience (what Nielsen calls the “active digital media universe”) in February was 167 million individuals. As NAA does note, 43.6 percent of that audience visited a newspaper web site, but given that newspaper site traffic works out to only about 1.6 page views per reader per day, many of the newspaper site uniques are clearly represent one-time-only traffic.
NAA further reports:
Saturday, April 25, 2009
How the Web Dominated the Breaking News Pulitzer Prize
24 Apr 2009 17:01 Africa/Lagos
Nieman Journalism Lab: How the Web Dominated the Breaking News Pulitzer Prize
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., April 24 /PRNewswire/ -- The three newspapers honored by the Pulitzer Prize Board for Breaking News all shared a common thread: They used the web as their primary outlet, not ink-on-paper.
The New York Times -- which won the prize -- and finalists the Houston Chronicle and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch each shifted to a web-first mentality when faced with big breaking news. That was true whether the news was a prostitution scandal (Times), a hurricane (Chronicle), or a shooting (Post-Dispatch).
"We cover news any way people need news," Chronicle editor Jeff Cohen told the Nieman Journalism Lab at Harvard. We cover it online, analog, digital, straight media -- any way you can serve it up, our staff is serving it up."
In-depth analysis of each of the Pulitzer finalists can be found at:
New York Times Wins Pulitzer Prize
Breaking News Winners
The Nieman Journalism Lab is a project at Harvard University to figure out the future of quality journalism online. Its site is http://www.niemanlab.org/.
Source: Nieman Journalism Lab
CONTACT: Joshua Benton, director of Nieman Journalism Lab,
joshua_benton@harvard.edu
Web Site: http://www.niemanlab.org/
Nieman Journalism Lab: How the Web Dominated the Breaking News Pulitzer Prize
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., April 24 /PRNewswire/ -- The three newspapers honored by the Pulitzer Prize Board for Breaking News all shared a common thread: They used the web as their primary outlet, not ink-on-paper.
The New York Times -- which won the prize -- and finalists the Houston Chronicle and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch each shifted to a web-first mentality when faced with big breaking news. That was true whether the news was a prostitution scandal (Times), a hurricane (Chronicle), or a shooting (Post-Dispatch).
"We cover news any way people need news," Chronicle editor Jeff Cohen told the Nieman Journalism Lab at Harvard. We cover it online, analog, digital, straight media -- any way you can serve it up, our staff is serving it up."
In-depth analysis of each of the Pulitzer finalists can be found at:
New York Times Wins Pulitzer Prize
Breaking News Winners
The Nieman Journalism Lab is a project at Harvard University to figure out the future of quality journalism online. Its site is http://www.niemanlab.org/.
Source: Nieman Journalism Lab
CONTACT: Joshua Benton, director of Nieman Journalism Lab,
joshua_benton@harvard.edu
Web Site: http://www.niemanlab.org/
Friday, April 24, 2009
Singapore Film HERE Selected for the 41st Directors' Fortnight at Cannes
24 Apr 2009 17:03 Africa/Lagos
Singapore Film HERE Selected for the 41st Directors' Fortnight at Cannes
SINGAPORE, April 24 /PRNewswire/ -- Singapore continues its strong showing at this year's Cannes Film Festival with HERE by Singapore filmmaker and visual artist Ho Tzu Nyen selected for screening at the 41st Directors' Fortnight section, which is known for selecting cutting-edge films with an original directorial style.
As a first-time feature film director, Ho is also eligible for the Camera d'Or (Golden Camera) award, a distinction for best first feature film in any one of the Cannes' selections - the Official Selection, the Directors' Fortnight or the International Critics' Week.
Said Ho Tzu Nyen who is both the scriptwriter as well as the director of the film, "HERE represents a cinematic amalgamation of my interests and experiences in painting, conceptual art and sound art. I believe it to be a new kind of Singapore film - a total sensorial experience that is hopefully also a head-trip."
The film is supported by the Singapore Film Commission's (SFC) 35mm Fulfillment Fund, which helps local filmmakers defray the costs of converting the digital version of their film to a 35mm print master, a format required by the Festival.
Mr. Kenneth Tan, Director of the Singapore Film Commission and Chief Operating Officer of Media Development Authority of Singapore said, "Singapore films have been gaining traction in the international markets over the last few years. Our varying styles and genres have been featured at Cannes every year since 2005, presenting our young filmmakers with a valuable launch pad for their international film careers. I am confident that local filmmakers such as Ho will continue to make their mark around the world."
Singapore's showing at Cannes began as early as 1997 when Eric Khoo's 12 Storeys was invited under the Un Certain Regard section. This year marks the fifth consecutive year that a Singapore film has been featured at the Festival, starting with Khoo's Be With Me in 2005, which opened the Director's Fortnight. This was followed by the 2006 country showcase where 12 Singapore feature films and short films were presented at the World Cinema (Tous les Cinemas du Monde) event. In 2007, Anthony Chen's short film Ah Ma clinched a Special Mention at the Festival, while Pok Yue Weng's short film SuperDONG and Ekachai Uekrongtham's feature film Pleasure Factory were screened at Directors' Fortnight and Un Certain Regard respectively. Last year, Khoo's latest film My Magic became the first Singapore film to compete for the prestigious Palme d'Or award.
HERE is a co-production by Canada's gsmprjct media and M'GO Films and Singapore's Akanga Film Asia, Oak3 Films and Tzulogical Films. The film was shot entirely in Singapore across 11 days in a former mental hospital. It tells the story of a middle-aged man who struggles to make sense of his reality following the sudden death of his wife. The protagonist of the film, played by lead actor John Low, is selected to undergo a mysterious treatment known as the 'videocure'. While undergoing treatment, he learns a profound lesson about love and fate. HERE's screening at Cannes will mark the film's world premiere while the theatrical release in Singapore is scheduled for June this year.
Added Ho Tzu Nyen, "HERE is both a love story, and also a story about the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche's idea of 'Amor Fati' or love of fate - in which the test of an affirmative life is that of someone who is willing to live his life over and over again, without making a single change."
Ho will join a delegation of film companies and directors led by MDA and SFC to the upcoming Cannes Film Festival and Market (Marche du Film) from 13 to 24 May 2009. The Cannes Film Market is a trade event that runs parallel to the Cannes Film Festival.
Press Contact:
Marylou Johnston VP, Managing Director, global
Priority Public Relations
marylou@prioritypr.net; +33 6 87 77 49 89
Source: Media Development Authority of Singapore
CONTACT: Marylou Johnston VP, Managing Director, global of Priority
Public Relations, +33 6 87 77 49 89, marylou@prioritypr.net, for Media
Development Authority of Singapore
Singapore Film HERE Selected for the 41st Directors' Fortnight at Cannes
SINGAPORE, April 24 /PRNewswire/ -- Singapore continues its strong showing at this year's Cannes Film Festival with HERE by Singapore filmmaker and visual artist Ho Tzu Nyen selected for screening at the 41st Directors' Fortnight section, which is known for selecting cutting-edge films with an original directorial style.
As a first-time feature film director, Ho is also eligible for the Camera d'Or (Golden Camera) award, a distinction for best first feature film in any one of the Cannes' selections - the Official Selection, the Directors' Fortnight or the International Critics' Week.
Said Ho Tzu Nyen who is both the scriptwriter as well as the director of the film, "HERE represents a cinematic amalgamation of my interests and experiences in painting, conceptual art and sound art. I believe it to be a new kind of Singapore film - a total sensorial experience that is hopefully also a head-trip."
The film is supported by the Singapore Film Commission's (SFC) 35mm Fulfillment Fund, which helps local filmmakers defray the costs of converting the digital version of their film to a 35mm print master, a format required by the Festival.
Mr. Kenneth Tan, Director of the Singapore Film Commission and Chief Operating Officer of Media Development Authority of Singapore said, "Singapore films have been gaining traction in the international markets over the last few years. Our varying styles and genres have been featured at Cannes every year since 2005, presenting our young filmmakers with a valuable launch pad for their international film careers. I am confident that local filmmakers such as Ho will continue to make their mark around the world."
Singapore's showing at Cannes began as early as 1997 when Eric Khoo's 12 Storeys was invited under the Un Certain Regard section. This year marks the fifth consecutive year that a Singapore film has been featured at the Festival, starting with Khoo's Be With Me in 2005, which opened the Director's Fortnight. This was followed by the 2006 country showcase where 12 Singapore feature films and short films were presented at the World Cinema (Tous les Cinemas du Monde) event. In 2007, Anthony Chen's short film Ah Ma clinched a Special Mention at the Festival, while Pok Yue Weng's short film SuperDONG and Ekachai Uekrongtham's feature film Pleasure Factory were screened at Directors' Fortnight and Un Certain Regard respectively. Last year, Khoo's latest film My Magic became the first Singapore film to compete for the prestigious Palme d'Or award.
HERE is a co-production by Canada's gsmprjct media and M'GO Films and Singapore's Akanga Film Asia, Oak3 Films and Tzulogical Films. The film was shot entirely in Singapore across 11 days in a former mental hospital. It tells the story of a middle-aged man who struggles to make sense of his reality following the sudden death of his wife. The protagonist of the film, played by lead actor John Low, is selected to undergo a mysterious treatment known as the 'videocure'. While undergoing treatment, he learns a profound lesson about love and fate. HERE's screening at Cannes will mark the film's world premiere while the theatrical release in Singapore is scheduled for June this year.
Added Ho Tzu Nyen, "HERE is both a love story, and also a story about the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche's idea of 'Amor Fati' or love of fate - in which the test of an affirmative life is that of someone who is willing to live his life over and over again, without making a single change."
Ho will join a delegation of film companies and directors led by MDA and SFC to the upcoming Cannes Film Festival and Market (Marche du Film) from 13 to 24 May 2009. The Cannes Film Market is a trade event that runs parallel to the Cannes Film Festival.
Press Contact:
Marylou Johnston VP, Managing Director, global
Priority Public Relations
marylou@prioritypr.net; +33 6 87 77 49 89
Source: Media Development Authority of Singapore
CONTACT: Marylou Johnston VP, Managing Director, global of Priority
Public Relations, +33 6 87 77 49 89, marylou@prioritypr.net, for Media
Development Authority of Singapore
'Saving Captain Phillips' – Online Game captures the High Sea Rescue Mission
'Saving Captain Phillips' – Online Game captures the High Sea Rescue Mission
New York - Tuesday - 21st April' 2009 /PRNewswire/ — - Games2win.com, a global Top 50online games' company, announced the release of its real life inspired online game titled 'Saving Captain Phillips' on www.games2win.com. The thrilling game is inspired by the courageous and dangerous high sea rescue mission of Captain Richard Phillips, who was captured by rogue Somali Pirates and rescued by the crack team of US Navy SEALs.
Captain Richard Phillips was captured by Somali pirates from his ship, the Maersk Alabama and had a harrowing experience of being held captive until the US Navy stepped in and deployed the Sniper team of the Navy SEALs to rescue him. The online game recreates the actual episode and allows players to become Navy SEAL Snipers and embark on a life threatening mission to help rescue the captain.
Saving Captain Phillips:
The game begins with a scene of Captain Richard Phillips surrendering himself to the pirates in order to save his ship's crew members. The game play area is the recreated scene of Navy SEAL snipers taking positions and expertly shooting the pirates in order to save the captain. In this high stakes action game, users take on the role of Navy SEAL Snipers and shoot the enemy pirates who are in moving boats without compromising Captain Phillips' Safety.
Alok Kejriwal – Co- founder and CEO of Games2win commented: "Games2win wanted to honor the incredibly brave US Navy SEAL snipers and the heroic Captain Richard Phillips by producing an online game that recreates the events and the action that actually happened. The game is our attempt to involve the youth in this incident and make them play a personal role in helping rescue the captain. We believe that since online games play an important role in the lives of this segment of players, they (games) can be cleverly crafted to communicate global problems, their consequences and get young people involved in solving or at least in building awareness about these issues.
Games2win.com has several similar online games in the pipeline, involving political, historical and global themes.
Games2win.com creates and publishes online games for global audiences and is ranked amongst the top 50 global online gaming portals as ranked by comScore.
Press Contact:
Alok Kejriwal
CEO and Co-Founder
alok@games2win.com
Mobile + 91 98200 82558
Thursday, April 23, 2009
See You in Cannes (Part 1)
See You in Cannes (Part 1)
This morning we were at the French Consulate in Ikoyi for a visa appointment and Fidelis Duker, the COO of the Abuja International Film Festival was there as well. Supple magazine and a selection of Nigerian newspapers have been given press accreditation for the forthcoming 62nd Festival de Cannes. Fidelis Duker is one of the most hardworking professionals doing their best for the sustainable development of the $236 million Nigerian film industry.
The Cannes Film Festival is the biggest and most popular film festival in the world and attracts the top stars of Hollywood and Bollywood to the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès in Cannes south of France every May, but most of the so called leading stars of Nollywood are ignorant of Cannes. Supple magazine is going to convene the first forum on Nollywood and the Cannes film Festival to inform the Nigerian actors, actresses, marketers, and the general public on the film festival and why Nigeria should not be left of the competition at Cannes. Our goal is to challenge Nigerian filmmakers to compete for the highest honors at the Festival de Cannes.
~ Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima
Releases displayed in Africa/Lagos time
22 Apr 2009
23:00
African Health Delegates Welcomed to Washington
21:06
AllianceBernstein Global High Income Fund Releases
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